


Experiments

by circuit_breaker



Category: Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Genre: Gen, discussing emotional bonds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-17 22:59:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14199513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/circuit_breaker/pseuds/circuit_breaker
Summary: EDIT: Added "Being around them rose the levels of oxytocin in my system, for instance" because Racter would most likely elaborate at least a bit.





	Experiments

”Would you happen to have time to talk, Racter?”

He thinks for a moment.

“Yes, I have. I confess that our last run was quite intense, thus I lack the energy to concentrate on my projects. However, I’m not tired enough to sleep yet. So – let us talk, then. What do you have in mind?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about our past discussions.”

“As usual”, he says.

“You mentioned that you have tried simulating emotional bonding. Wasn’t it so?

“Yes, I did. What about it?”

“Since you didn’t leave that simulation on, I assume that your experiment didn’t convince you”, I elaborate, leading him to the question. As I suspect, he is quick to understand.

“The sensation was interesting. That much I can say. I do not comprehend why normally wired people put so much value to it, though. I didn’t gain anything special by enabling it: just emotions that could’ve very well led me to poor decisions.”

“What kind of a system did you use? Did you decide the target of your affection in advance, or did you open up the possibility of feeling that without specifying the exact person?” I ask.

“I wanted quick results, so I opted for the former option. I programmed my brain to produce the required chemicals when triggered by a certain individual. Being around them rose the levels of oxytocin in my system, for instance.”

I stare at him perhaps impolitely long.

“This may sound like a strange request, but I’d ask you to take off your jacket and shirt”, I say finally. His eyebrows rise at that. “I won’t force you to do so, of course; but I can assure you that this is relevant to our current topic.”

I’m not sure how he will respond. He enjoys his cigarette one more time, then smothers its flame with the tips of his fingers. After that, he looks thoughtfully at the specialized glove on his right hand. In order to follow my instructions, he needs to remove it as well. It’s clear that it is the hardest part for him.

“I do hope that you aren’t messing around with me, my friend… For your own sake, that is”, he says and takes the glove off. I notice that Koschei becomes a bit more agitated.

“I’m not”, I reply. He shrugs the jacket off his shoulders and places it on the desk. He unbuttons the shirt, puts it on the jacket.

I can’t help noticing harsh scars on his skin. They could be because of injuries during runs, but I have a feeling that the worst of them are caused by that shop accident: they slide, like snakes, lower and underneath his trousers.

“What is your plan?” he asks.

“I’d like you to lie down. Your bed is probably the best place–“ I say but stop when he looks at me in a certain way.

“This is not a trick to seduce you, just so you know! If I was to attempt something like that, I wouldn’t certainly do it in this manner”, I continue with an emphasis.

“Either way, your plan – whatever it is – proceeds to strip me quite a bit. I won’t go onto my bed with shoes.”

And thus, he sits on the edge of the bed and unleashes his feet. It’s not a new sight to me, but it manages to capture my attention nonetheless. His feet are ridiculously detailed, and I swear that I notice something new about them every single time – even when Racter hasn’t done any modifications to them.

“Well. My friend. Here I am, sitting, waiting – hoping that you’ll surprise me by showing that there is a point to this”, he says. “If I didn’t possess a certain level of curiosity, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

I come closer.

“Let’s see… Would you lie down on your stomach?”

He does so, and I climb onto the bed, so that my legs are bent, next to his both sides.

“So, here is my idea: I’m going to give you a massage, unless you oppose the proposition”, I tell him. His head rests against a pillow so that he can give me a sideways glance.

“I could give you a permission, but your logic is still lost on me. What does that have to do with our past conversation?”

“We will come to that, Racter. I’m sure that you have enough patience to wait a moment”, I say. He breathes out, slowly; and then I touch his shoulders, giving them some pressure, testing his tastes and adjusting according to his reactions.

This situation brings me some memories. I used to give massages to Raymond ages ago, too, because his back ached often.

Racter’s form relaxes when I find a suitable approach.

“Say, this might sound silly – but have you ever given massages to yourself?” I ask.

“In fact, I have. Not by using my own arms, of course – I’ve done that through mechanical ones”, he replies.

“Which one felt better? – that, or this?”

He thinks.

“You are skilled”, he says finally.

“I have practiced”, I say. I massage him for some time in silence: neck, shoulders, around the spine, closer to the sides. Then, I continue:

“Well. Back to our earlier topic. You said that you _decided_ to form an emotional bond. The whole thing was under your control. What you didn’t consider is that emotional bonds do not work like that – the magic is behind their uncontrollable nature. They feel good because there is surprise in them, because they lead you instead of you leading them. I read recently of a research about tickling: They found out that tickling yourself is ineffective. You need someone else to do it… That’s where I got this thought. I was quite certain that tickling you would be a bad idea – especially with Koschei’s sudden and aggressive reactions – so I figured that massaging would do the same trick. So – I would suggest that you would do that experiment of yours once again, with more patience. You might find out something interesting.”

I wait for him to reply. He doesn’t.

“… Racter?” I ask. I slide my hand against his neck and touch his hair.

I realize that he is asleep.

Well, he did say that he was a bit tired. I could wake him up but I decide against that. I can make my suggestion to him later again. I rise from the bed carefully, all the while Koschei keeps staring at me with his multiple eyes.

Leaving Racter like that feels a bit wrong, though. I go upstairs, fetch a blanket, return – once again, very, _very_ carefully, as one never knows with Koschei – and place the blanket on Racter. I nod: much better.

I exit the workshop and let Racter sleep in peace – who is, perhaps, reflecting on my words in his dreams.

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: Added "Being around them rose the levels of oxytocin in my system, for instance" because Racter would most likely elaborate at least a bit.


End file.
